NATIONAL Highways has explained why temporary traffic lights on the A27 at Polegate are causing lengthy delays, as motorists continue to face significant disruption across the area.
Long queues have been reported since Thursday (October 15), following the installation of temporary traffic signals after permanent lights were damaged in a collision last week.
The disruption has caused considerable frustration among motorists, with traffic building up around Polegate and on surrounding routes.
National Highways has now explained that one of the main problems is the way the temporary traffic lights operate compared with the permanent signals.
Under normal conditions, traffic lights controlling one of the side roads operate on demand, meaning vehicles on the main A27 route are not unnecessarily held up when there is no traffic waiting to emerge from the side road.
However, the temporary traffic lights cannot replicate this system, meaning the phasing of the signals is less responsive to traffic conditions.
As a result, vehicles travelling along the A27 can be stopped even when there is little or no traffic approaching from the side road, contributing to the lengthy queues.
To help improve traffic flow, National Highways has confirmed that it will temporarily close one of the side roads served by the junction. This should allow the temporary signals to operate more efficiently and reduce unnecessary delays.
A National Highways spokesperson said: “Safety is our top priority, and we are working as hard as possible to repair the lights which were damaged in a collision last week. The temporary traffic lights were installed to maintain safety for pedestrians, and we will carry out the full repairs as soon as possible.”
The temporary signals have been installed to maintain pedestrian safety while the damaged permanent traffic lights are repaired.
According to the East Sussex Roadworks portal, the works are currently scheduled to remain in place until November 30.
However, National Highways has not confirmed whether the temporary traffic lights will be required for the entire period or whether the permanent signals could be repaired sooner.
